“Save India, Save Bihar” Rally in Patna

Unprecedented Response

Sorvoday Sharma

‘SAVE India, Save Bihar’ rally was organised in Patna on October 15, 2003 in response to a call given by the central committee meeting held at Kolkata on June 7 to 9. This rally turned out to be a historic event in the long history of the party in Bihar. In terms of participation, class character of the participants and the issues raised, it was an unprecedented rally. Prior to this rally only in 1990 and 1994 Kisan Sabha had mobilised peasantry and working class on this scale as a part of their land struggle.

Participants began arriving for the rally in the forenoon of October 13. By the evening of the 14th all the space was occupied and those who arrived late were sent to Gandhi ground where rally was to be held. On the morning of October 15 the Gandhi ground was decorated with red banners. The rally at Gandhi ground was later converted into a mass meeting. However before the meeting started the artists of the Bihar People’s Cultural Front presented folk songs, plays etc.

The meeting started at 11.30 AM under the chairmanship of CPI(M) state secretary Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi. Prominent leaders who addressed the meeting were Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechuri, Central Committee member Hannan Mollah and AIDWA general secretary Brinda Karat.

Addressing the meeting of the rallyists Sitaram Yechuri lambasted communal and pro-imperialism policies of the Vajpayee government. He explained the deep economic crisis, which has overwhelmed the country. Caught in the foreign debt trap, the union government all the time looks desperately towards the USA and other imperialists. Now the Public Distribution System is completely shattered and the pauperisation of the peasantry has ruined the poor. Yechury vividly described the plight of the rural and urban poor resulting from the retrogression in Bihar’s economy. Clarifying the CPI(M) position he said that the party supports the Rabri – Laloo government for fighting against communal forces. At the same time it was determined to fight their anti-people upper - class oriented economic policies.

Hannan Mollah gave a call for raising the level of the struggle against communalism and imperialism. Referring to the performance the Rabri-Laloo government, he argued that the economic policies pursued by the present government have been patently anti-poor and anti-development.

Brinda Karat, particularly addressing the women rallyists said that in order to save Bihar, we have to save the poor. She emphasized that despite a strong movement in the country against imperialism and communalism, the country is being pushed towards complete ruination due to economic policies of both the central and state governments. Referring to her meeting with Rabri and Laloo Yadav she pointed out that the welfare measures of the state government regarding dalits, women, peasantry and the working class are really disappointing. Hence she stressed the need for strengthening the struggle to demand pro-poor alternative policies.

In his presidential address Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi presented a graphic picture of poverty in rural Bihar. The revealed that from numerous villages peasants have left for other states in search of livelihood. The percentage of poor continues to rise and the condition of peasantry is pitiable. There is widespread unemployment, public sector undertakings are being privatised and corruption is rampant. He gave a call for raising the level of struggle against communalism, imperialism and anti people policies of the central and the state governments.

Others who addressed the rally included Subodh Roy, Krishan Kant Singh, Chandi Prasad, Ramashray Singh, Vijay Kant Thakur, Ramdev Verma, and Sarvoday Sharma.